In the case of the dog being thrown onto the Parkway, a reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever threw the dog now exceeds $1,000, said Victor “Buddy” Amato, the MCSPCA’s chief law enforcement officer.

“All three officers … they’re all fine examples of their departments and without people like them, my job would be impossible,” Amato said. “They’re first on the scene. We can’t do a proper investigation without people like that.”

Each officer was awarded an orange citation bar, because orange is the color that marks awareness of animal cruelty, Griffin said. The three are the first officers in Monmouth County to receive the honor, she said.

“It’s something that we’re going to do on a regular basis,” Griffin said.